Crazy Monday

I am more than familiar with the quotes mentioned in this article 30 things we hate to hear at work.

Please note that while I may ask for a second, I don't expect to get more than that. We know you're always way busier than the rest of the department, so, as my favorite old ER nurse says "Spare me".

Don't be spared. Read this and enjoy.

You might even be able to add some of these to your own special nursing unit Buzzword Bingo for some fun on Thanksgiving.

Have a happy Monday wherever you are! More later...

Happy Easter!

For those of you who celebrate (now or later), may the joy of the Risen Christ be yours all throughout the year.

For those of you who don't, enjoy every bit of candy while you can. Most will be 50% off tomorrow. Cadbury eggs are awesome!

I have already hidden my chocolate marzipan eggs (I prefer dark) from prying characters in my home.

Until next time...I raise a glass to you and then go check the ham.

Just another Monday

Still Nurses' Week..YES! The psychology staff are celebrating on Florence Nightingale's birthday at the Hotel, but they have to send an e-mail every day so people don't forget.

I celebrated today by having lots of technical difficulties in my clinic. Now I have to find a creative way to get a gift basket of coffee, Mountain Dew, chocolate and other terribly fattening things to my favorite support technicians. Yes, it's been that kind of week and this is only Monday. We have a "special notes" section of our intranet, so I recognized two of the folks today. I had to...those two saved my derriere so much already.

Bubba got out of school early today and is counting the days when school ends here in RehabLand. Since his school had no snow days (we had a school boss from Minnesota who wasn't scared one icy day) this year, they'll actually finish on the day they said. Bubba, however, may notice those last days are different. For the first time ever, he has final exams. Should get him ready for high school!

Now Bubba is at his friend Jorge's house, helping him get some of the music homework done before the big party this week at the last band class. If Jorge gets the magic number, he'll be in. Bubba, his partner in crime, wants to provide moral support so it happens.

Stay tuned...one more day of Nurses' Week left. Enjoy every moment. You deserve it!

I love research

Especially when research journal authors, like these good folks at BMJ have a sense of humor about a wonderfully seasonal PICO question.

Enjoy!

The siege continues

One of these days, they will get off their collective arses and do some work.

Meanwhile, I enjoy (yes, I really am) my escape. The fall weather is delightful. I'm cleaning up stuff that has needed to be cleaned and organized for literally years. Is it exciting? Probably not to most folks.

To me, it is freedom, and it doesn't matter how I got it. I saw Giacomo today. It's been a long time. We had coffee and a nice chat about social justice and life in general. He got a new kitchen that's almost done. It's really shaping into something nice.

After I went there, I had to go shopping to make Bubba and Dahey an Indian dinner. The child really likes tandoori and tikka masala. So since I found a nice spice recipe (and Dr. Q. helped me tweak it), I'm using it.

Next, I went by a chocolate shop near Giacomo's office and had one of these. It was heaven.


They may only be small victories, but I appreciate them just the same.

More to come...enjoy whatever your day brings you where you are.

Coping mechanisms

To be a nurse, you need to know how to handle the pressure of day-to-day silliness.

My methods:

1. Chocolate. Eat the dark stuff with less sugar and fiber (okay, it still has fat, but you need fiber, right?)

2. Coffee. I don't care if they tell me it will kill me this week. Last week, they said it was my best source of antioxidants.

3. Regular pedicures. Yes, you are only as happy as your feet are (said more than one old pro nurse I know!) Hot pink toes make me happy.

That is all. Enjoy your night wherever you area!

I love chocolate, so...

I really loved this article I saw today about the Nobel Prize winners for economics (aka the dismal science).

One of them obviously, Alvin Roth, is not dismal at all...rather funny. He posted about Nobel prize winners and chocolate, then had to post a note Monday that his blog post would be delayed. (Maybe due to a really early wake up call).

All that was missing...

Were the exquisite chocolates, when Dahey and I went out for dinner for our anniversary recently.

Moules, frites with mayo, and a delightful lambic.

I wanna go back to Bruges! Somebody take me away...on y va!

Life is like a box of chocolates? Maybe...

If any man has drunk a little too deeply from the cup of physical pleasure; if he has spent too much time at his desk that should have been spent asleep; if his fine spirits have become temporarily dulled; if he finds the air too damp, the minutes too slow, and the atmosphere too heavy to withstand; if he is obsessed by a fixed idea which bars him from any freedom of thought:  if he is any of these poor creatures, we say, let him be given a good pint of amber-flavored chocolate... and marvels will be performed.  ~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin


And if ice cream's your thing, especially as the temps go up in the RehabRN household when Bubba plays more outside and comes in a sweaty mess:

Ice cream is happiness condensed.  ~Jessi Lane Adams

Just say hello, goodbye

One patient, Mr. Smack, leaves, and boy, does he treat the nurses. A humongous box of fancy schmancy pastries and absolutely divine chocolate dipped brownies appear in the nurses' lounge. Can you tell his sister, who brought all this stuff knows how to butter up the nurses? It surely helps that she IS one.

Darlin' you and Mr. Smack have a good ol' time driving to Margaritaville, just keep him away from drunk drivers!

And Mr. X., who I checked in last week with my trainee came back. Nothing like a little crashing to send you out to the ICU. Thankfully, they cleared that all up. What's a little sepsis among friends?

Now, I wait for judgment, er, my trip before the accreditation people tomorrow. I'm going to celebrate by doing homework with P. and my group.

More later...

Learning is so much fun

When you're out with the journal club, with good food and good companions. And I so loved the chocolate hazelnut bars for dessert....yum!

Gotta keep the tummy happy to keep learning!

So happy I got to escape after a day of moving furniture and soothing uneasy souls at the Hotel. I love admissions and getting psych consults. At least, I had a trainee on the admission to help out. I think she's got it and will make a fine admissions nurse.

Stay tuned...

Be happy, eat chocolate

Bubba and I are bonding as we make pumpkin pies and I just baked a really good brownie with items you wouldn't expect.

It is Halloween, after all. Even if you're on a diet (like me), you need chocolate.

More later...

Bowel obsessed

And to think it's so early in the week! Yes, we have our share of bowel-obsessed people at the Hotel right now.

Here are a few examples:

• We have a patient who wants a quantifier on any BMs, i.e. "how much?" all the time. Let's just say you're doing fine, thanks.
• We have another patient right now who has magnesium citrate, bisacodyl tabs and glycerin suppositories (because they use them at home) ordered PRN, just in case said patient feels "a little fullness." Patient's full of something all right...
• Another patient is on record taking one cup of GoLytely every day for his/her bowel routine. I guess if it gets you going!
• Finally, we have the patient who's gotten addicted to mini-enemas. "Oh, I can't go if I don't get one of those!"

And we don't make it any better...we were just reminiscing today about one nurse's Halloween costume a couple of years ago. She wore a white outfit (with white hoodie) with "bisacodyl" taped on the side. None of the therapists got it...but the nursing staff was ROFL big time.

One of my patients unloaded today right after lunch. He made his numbers before we even got the magic bullets out for the evening shift. "I swear it's that chicken," he told me (referring to today's lunch). Hmm....just make you wonder how much chocolate candy he really did eat today (the Easter basket's almost empty...)

Finally, before I was getting to scribble this down I found this bowel obsessed post at dethmama. Oh, do I feel your pain...and did I enjoy this...totally. I know EXACTLY where you are coming from!

The holidays are coming...

And, as usual, I never feel like I'm ready! I've been busy shopping for Thanksgiving dinner and cleaning out cabinets and freezers. After that, I'll get to clean some more in between working.

On top of it this year, I'll be fluffing and buffing around here as I get ready to host the Thanksgiving edition of Change of Shift. The submissions are trickling in, so if you're so inclined, get going on yours and send it in!

You know it's the holidays on our unit because food is appearing everywhere. It's tough to be a nurse or hospital employee when wherever you look (in only JCAHO-approved places, of course) there's food--candy, cookies, you name it. A few people have dropped hints to families that no nurse can deny a good piece of chocolate. I'll second that, thank you. Bring it on! I'll just have to do a few more laps around the Hotel to burn off that candy!

More later! Send those posts in...I'll be waiting!

Nuggets for October 9

Yes, I was off yesterday. I found quite a variety of goodies out there I hope you all enjoy! Here's the fall harvest this week...

In the "you'll never look the same way at this again" category

Remember all that debate over embryonic stem cells? Well, scientists may be able to use cells found elsewhere on the body to do the same job. Head on over to the WSJ Health blog and this article to find out the latest stem cell generation location.

Last week, I pointed you in the direction of impactED's helminth therapy article. Yes, indeed, according to my allergist (a top researcher at PrivateU), people with worms tend to have less allergies. If you really want to get your own set of worms, you can't get it from him, you'll have to head to http://www.wormtherapy.com/ and figure that out on your own! I think I'll pass on that, thank you!

Health promotion articles

Like dark chocolate? Your heart may like it, too, if you eat small amounts every day according to this Reuters article.

More infection control guidelines courtesy of our friends at the AHA and JCAHO. (from http://www.nytimes.com/)

Another reason for a healthy economy and plenty of jobs: Family income impacts children's health (from Yahoo! News Health)

Quote

"I'm beginning to understand myself. But it would have been great to be able to understand myself when I was 20 rather than when I was 82." Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist